By Tim Binnall
An Idaho hiker who had long been a Sasquatch skeptic had a change of heart after recently spotting a large bipedal animal that appeared to be the legendary cryptid. The intriguing sighting, reported to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), occurred on the morning of June 13th at the Deadwood Reservoir in the Boise National Forest. A seasoned hiker, witness Donny Schmidt stressed that he has often seen "black bears, moose, deer and even an occasional wolf" during his wilderness excursions over the years. However, on that particular day, he stumbled upon something unlike anything he had ever encountered.
While hiking above a dam at the reservoir, Schmidt noticed "slight movement up a hill about 60-70 yards away." Turning his attention towards the disturbance, which he initially suspected was a mountain lion or a bear, he was astonished when "this animal stood up on two legs and briefly looked towards me." The bipedal creature, Schmidt said, "then turned uphill" and swiftly walked away, disappearing from view after around 20 seconds. "What I saw was not a bear or any other animal I recognize," the hiker marveled, "I wasn't afraid, but I was uncertain and confused." Fortunately, he managed to get a fairly good look at the creature that left him mesmerized.
Suggesting that it may have been a juvenile Sasquatch, Schmidt indicated that the figure stood between five and six feet tall and sported "long reddish hair" that covered its body and face. Similar to many Bigfoot reports, the hiker described the creature as seemingly having no neck and, instead, there was "just a head sitting on human-like shoulders." To that end, he also noted that the figure's gait resembled that of a person, but it had a torso and arms which were disproportionately longer than its legs and was "very bulky in the chest and shoulders." Two additional details provided by the witness were that the creature's fur was "almost like a cinnamon black bear," though considerably longer, and, weirdly, it made sounds that he likened to "deep pig grunts" as it walked away.
Beyond the sighting itself, a particularly compelling aspect of Schmidt's account is how he reacted to the experience. Originally planning to camp for another three days, the rattled hiker packed up his things and quickly headed out of the area. "Reluctant to tell anyone" about the incident, he chillingly mused, "I know what I saw, and it was something I'm not sure I was meant to see." That said, he ultimately opted to come forward with his account after about a week of undoubtedly replaying the moment in his head countless times. Speaking to the BFRO about Sasquatch, he conceded that he had been "an ardent skeptic about it his whole life, until this incident." What do you think Schmidt ran into while hiking at the reservoir? Weigh in with your thoughts at the C2C Facebook page.